Galactic Dreams(Stellaris, Interactive/Community)

[Brian Swartz]

Matter of perspective I guess to an extent. Mostly likely you like a number of others hate the whole sector idea in general(I understand that, but I like the concept). Before this patch sectors basically ignored slaves so I view this as an improvement. Yes it takes some things out of our/my control but that's the point of sectors. Not my purpose here to debate the validity of the sector system in general, and I'm glad to be the 'overlord' as it were, but now that I've figured out what its doing with the slaves I don't really object to it personally.

[chesapeake]

We need quick investigation of Kroll and Djomer space with a prioritization of the systems bordering us and the Ul-Tur.

On slavery, my inclination is to pull the Shantari out of the Kroll border sector and return them to their proper position as slaves. Free Shantari must be terrified right now, not having the hand of Boojie's children guiding them as nature intended. As you note, it is a poor long-term system of management, but if we cannot trust our governors to manage sectors properly, this may be the only solution.

[Hopefully this will be fixed in a patch. The thought of Shantari owning an Archetreuthi would be abominable to our culture as we seem to be imagining it.]

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by Chesapeake

[Hopefully this will be fixed in a patch. The thought of Shantari owning an Archetreuthi would be abominable to our culture as we seem to be imagining it.]

I doubt it will be 'fixed' as it seems clearly not to be deemed 'broken'. Design choice that only xenophobes can choose to enslave only other species. Whether that's a good design choice or not is definitely debatable .

Originally Posted by Chesapeake

On slavery, my inclination is to pull the Shantari out of the Kroll border sector and return them to their proper position as slaves.

This decision is no longer needed as many of them will remain as slaves now. Since sectors are required, the only question is really will we continue to allow slavery(so far yes). If so, some Shantari and Architreuthis will be free and some slaves. Slaves of the empire though, of the Oncorhynchus Collective, not Shantari enslaving Architreuthis directly. There is a separate policy for whether we can have xeno leaders(i.e. Shantari or some other race). We don't have the tech for this but clearly with our approach, even if we had it we would not use it. I think it is reasonable to surmise under this arrangement that the native Architreuthis are in charge of everything.

Originally Posted by Chesapeake

We need quick investigation of Kroll and Djomer space with a prioritization of the systems bordering us and the Ul-Tur.

I'll interpret this as an order for two of our four science ships to be diverted to this task when done with their immediate assignments. That will leave one exploring each arm of the galaxy with the diverted pair headed to the 'war zone'.

[chesapeake]

I dislike the notion of Architreuthis being enslaved. In systems that we control directly, only other species may be enslaved.

[Brian Swartz]

So it shall be done, Inquisitor.

2245

2245.02.07 -- The Fist of Boojie departs Raggani Spaceport, headed for the first crystal cluster in Cipollan near the edge of the Ibannic Veil.

03.01 -- With the arrival of Asimov, a new Scout-class corvette has been designed. Its purpose is to keep watch on points of interest beyond our territory, especially in the territory of other empires such as the present war involving the Ul-Tur. One of the changes is that ships with excess power gain a bonus to a few aspects, including evasion. This makes a dedicated scout ship more relevant. The Scout class uses the utility-heavy Shifter module with a single small mining laser only for its weaponry.

Three are built at Humboldt and possibly more coming. As the science ships delve into Kroll space and beyond, the scouts will be deployed to strategic systems to extend our sensor range.

03.22 -- Minor advances in Red Crystal Capacitors achieved by debris analysis.

04.03 -- Biolab II upgrade finished on Bakangi. A new basic science lab is initialized.

06.23 -- Crystalline elites engaged in the Cipollan system.

06.30 -- Debris analysis results in completion of Red Crystal Capacitors, which are now available to the fleet for future designs.

07.25 -- Eskogg is the third planet to begin the Planetary Capital upgrade process.

08.09 -- Science lab finished on Bakangi, and will now upgrade to a Physics Lab, that being the field by far in the most need of additional resources.

09.01 -- The colony ship Ugascha is finished and departs for the second moon of Haribas I.

09.11 -- The most epic battle by far the Collective has yet waged is over in the Cipollan system. Admiral SirFozzie led the Fist of Boojie to victory yet again, and has been promoted to ****. The eight-week engagement resulted in considerable losses however, though not quite as much as I expected. A sixth of the ships were lost, eight corvettes and a pair of raiders. All of the larger ones survived. A lengthy hiatus for repair and replacements is expected.

Here's a shot of what the battle looked like partway through. The crystals and their ordnance are so very multi-colored ...




10.04 -- Planetary Capital finished on Humboldt. A Biolab upgrade is next. There is also enough surplus food on the homeworld to eventually replace one of the provincial farms with something else.

10.12 -- Final debris field in Ustir analyzed with no significant results.

10.26 -- An early space age civilization has been discovered in the outer arm, far beyond even the Haribas colonies but a possible subject of study or annexation in the future.

11.01 -- Urgent scouts report: wormhole stations discovered in Djomar territory. If they are a wormhole-traveling race, they need not follow hyperlanes. Furthermore, we have yet to discover any Kroll military vessels, even in their home system! Perhaps they are all busy with the Ul-Tur? More scout ships are spreading throughout Kroll territory to confirm these initial reports, while the fleet continues its journey back for repairs ...

11.06 -- Scout Alpha reports a transport fleet in the Krolldar system(Kroll homeworld). It will be followed to see what they are up to ...

11.27 -- Physics Lab upgrade finished on Bakangi.

12.21 -- A new corvette has been built by the Kroll in the Bakom system. Scout Charlie reports that warp drive signatures have been seen. This confirms that they don't need to follow hyperlanes. It doesn't mean they necessarily have the range to reach Ul-Tur space, but judging by the lack of ships in their own territory, their navy has to have gone somewhere ...

Slavery & Factions

Now that things have had time to sort themselves out somewhat, we have five factions. None of the dissenting factions have any support yet, so we need not concern ourselves over-much, but here's how it lays out.

** Loyalists -- As a reminder, these are those toeing the line, committed to the Collective, etc. 62 of 87 pops, over 70%, are in this category.

** Docile Slaves -- This is the 'good' slave faction.
Members -- 15 pops
Demand(s): Regulated Slavery -- A new policy option which halves the bonus for slave mineral/food production but appeases them with certain minimal comforts.
Effects: These are what a faction can do if they continue to gain support and get out of hand. They progress in stages as the support for the faction increases. The Docile Slaves progress from Unrest(Dis-satisfied voices reduce happiness and production on a slave-worked planet) to Violent Mobs(Dissatisfied slaves abandon their work and get into violent confrontation with other pops) to Radicalization(several slaves switch to the Malcontent Slaves, who are more dangerous)
Attractiveness: The relative appeal of the faction, compared to Loyalists. The Docile Slaves are at 143.

** Malcontent Slaves -- This is the 'bad' slave faction, and is unfortunately growing in number
Members -- 7, was originally at 1-2.
Demand(s) -- Freedom
Effects -- Interstellar Railroad(several slaves are smuggled out of the empire), Slave Riots(widespread destruction, Slave Revolt(each Malcontent pop forms a single army and attempts to liberate their planet by force)
Attractiveness -- 197

** Emancipation Movement
Members -- 2
Demands -- Free All Slaves(um, no?)
Effects -- Stoking the Fire(radicalization and arming of slave pops. I assume this strengthens the Malcontent faction)
Attractiveness -- 70

** Kroll Border Sovereignty Army
Members -- 1
Demands -- Independence for the Kroll Border Sector
Effects -- Consolidate Support(increase support by changing the ethos or lowering happiness of other pops), Strike(reduces output on a planet), Riots(a provincial building is ruined), Rebellion(Like the Slave Revolts, each member of the faction generates an army for armed conflict aimed at independence)
Attractiveness -- 40


I should emphasize here that we are not in danger of any of these nasty effects taking place yet. Each faction has to get support behind it before it can do these things. It's just something to monitor at this stage. Also, I will pause for a decision on the war once the fleet is back in the core systems and repaired(it's nearly back to Raggani spaceport, but must repair and travel a few more jumps after that, etc.)

[Brian Swartz]

2246

01.01 -- Science lab begun on Agglor.

02.08 -- We knew it would happen eventually. In the Edor Vang system, the furthest we have yet reached in the outer arm, we have discovered a new type of alien contact designated the He. Dr. Corperial immediately commences analysis of the sensor logs.

04.04 -- Biolab upgrade finished on Humboldt. A science lab will now be built to replace the least productive of our hydroponic farms, still leaving a rather exorbitant surplus afterwards.

05.05 -- The Ul-Tur and Kroll have signed a peace treaty. It appears that the war accomplished nothing. The Hakibori are still at war, but they appear to be slightly losing. It seems the Ul-Tur Concordat is tougher than they appeared -- or else the others are inept.

08.01 -- Science lab finished on Agglor, and will upgrade to an Engineering Facility.

08.08 -- The He Aliens will be known from now on as the Ethneri Polity, as we have successfully translated their communications.




Materialists and pacifists, they are an empire of traders. They hold but a single system, and are vassals to another empire we have not met, the Qravadox Star Consensus. The Ethneri are fighting a war for liberation, a war they appear to be losing fairly badly at the moment. They may not even exist as a galactic neighbor for long.




09.02 -- Fleet rendezvous has been accomplished in the Impal Tov system. At present, there is not a single warship in any Kroll-settled system, but it's unknown where they headed off to. They are at peace right now, but we don't know how much of their fleet is left or how long it will be until it returns. Searching for it would be sort of a needle in a haystack.

The Fist of Boojie has almost regained its previous strength: 13 destroyers, 1 frigate, 1 raider, 10 corvettes. More ships are being built and could join us when completed. The Home Defense Force could join in if we wanted a total commitment. Right now all that is present in the Kroll systems are low-level spaceports that we could easily crush if we can get there before reinforcements.




The fleet is now in need of orders so its time to make a decision. If it is not determined to be time for war, they will head to the outer arm and combat the elite crystals(two more systems) in that direction. This endeavor will probably take a couple of years. It seems highly likely that the Kroll will have recovered by then and the 'window of opportunity' passed, assuming it even was/is one and hasn't done so already(how's that for vague?).

Inquisitor Roe Laren -- and others -- what action shall we take? Shall it be war, or peace on the Kroll Front?

[SirFozzie]

"... If you want peace, prepare for war." A lesser species spat that out in a dead language, but the lesson it provides is true.

High Inquisitor, fellow Architreuthis, we face an opportunity unmatched in our interstellar history. Our fleet is strong, and thanks to the activities of our research bretheren, in the coming years, it will only become stronger, with bigger ships, and better weaponry.

There is a part of me that says we should wait for a "Better" opportunity. One where we know all the variables that could affect us, and victory is assured before we even set forth.

But that is not Boojie's way. If that part of me was dominant, we would have never unified our homeworld, never ventured out into the great dark that is our Universe. We would never have made contact with alien species, never brought new species to the light of Boojie's grace. We would have never taken the bounty of technology that the derelict ships have provided us.

"Too much can go wrong! We invite unintended consequences!". You may say.

It is a risk, I admit. But at this time in our history, a risk is exactly what we need to take. We have a strong shipbuilding industry, even before our new designs come online. We are at a point where our losses in battle can be made good fairly quickly, as seen by our battles with the crystalline entities.

We may not have such an opportunity again. I say, we take the opportunity and bring Boojie's light to the galaxy!

(an aging admiral, pleading for a war. Sounds familiar, don't it? - Foz)

[chesapeake]

I hear the voice of Boojie, calling on all Architreuthis to bring his guiding light and wisdom to the heathen Kroll.

The High Inquisitor orders all planets in our empire to commit production to implements of war, including new warships, armies and landing craft to ensure that we are prepared to capture and hold the Kroll worlds.

To Admiral SirFozzie, the High Inquisitor recommends adding the strength of the Home Defense Force to the Fist of Boojie for the initial attack and routing newly constructed vessels to a central location on our side of the border to prepare for a counterattack from the enemy.

Praise Boojie, and may He guide His teeming schools to victory!

[Brian Swartz]

The war is underway, and there have been some interesting(to me at least) happenings. Multiple updates will be upcoming.

[SirFozzie]

I think that's being called a tease

[Brian Swartz]

I think you are right.

[ntndeacon]

Let loose the Squids of War as the old bards would say!

[Brian Swartz]

'Squids of War'. Loses a little something in the translation, perhaps.

2246-47
It Begins ...

2246.09.02 -- So war it is. The news was delivered to the Kroll ambassador, and the die is cast. For those unfamiliar with it, Stellaris(and other Paradox titles) work on a wargoal system -- we must define what we wish to accomplish. This also limits the scope of wars to a total of 100 points. This is an arbitrary limit of course, but it prevents losing a single war from being fatal, except for very small empires. Aggravatingly, taking all four Kroll planets would result in a total of 101 -- just one point too many! We set as our goal taking the three closest to us. If successful, we will conquer the lion's share of Kroll space.




Other types of wargoals that may be of use to us in the future:

** Make Tributary -- a Tributary remains indepedent, but must pay 25% of its energy and minerals to its Overlord.
** Vassalize -- Vassals have independence in their internal affairs but must join their masters in any war.
** Humiliate -- Inflicts happiness and influence losses for 10 years, while the attacker gains 100 influence
** Open Borders -- Forces this for 10 years
** Liberate Planet -- Forms an independent empire in this system with the attackers' ethos
** Abandon Planet -- Forces the controlling empire to remove all traces of itself at this world

We're using the Cede Planet wargoal, the basic 'conquer and annex territory' option. Their official response was that we may have started this war, but they will finish it. We'll see about that.

10.06 -- First set of debris from the crystalline elites analyzed. Two new technological applications are apparently possible; Crystal-Infused Plating and Crystal-Forged Plating. Both require the Engineering Dept. and can significantly enhance the survivability of our ships. We'll take a closer look at them down the line.

11.04 -- Basic science lab finished on Humboldt, and begins the upgrade process to a Physics Lab.

12.14 -- The combined fleet departs Liram, our closest system to the Kroll Border, heading into enemy space. It's two jumps to Deteenal, our first target.

2247.01.22 -- The fleet begins its assault on the first target, the Roknin Mog Spaceport in Deteenal. 10 Assault Army transports, with Gen. Eola Eusrim in command, follow from the Liram system.

02.01 -- Engineering Facility upgrade finished on Agglor. It still needs a Planetary Capital but that will wait until the war is well in hand.

02.28 -- Roknin Mog Spaceport eliminated, and the fleet moves in to bombard the planet. One destroyer was badly damaged but not eliminated, and will return to Mag Rutosch(Dastamon system) for repairs.

03.01 -- A mining station at a nearby planet opens fire on the fleet. This should be quick.

04.01 -- The second colony in Haribas, now called Siggwal, is up and running.

04.02 -- Mining station eliminated.

04.07 -- Last of the debris in Cipollan has been analyzed. More progress on the crystal plating options but further development will wait for the time being.

05.01 -- It appears it will take a few months of bombardment to eliminate planetary fortifications. In the meantime, more assault armies are being recruited on the border worlds of Micaw and Mag Rutosch. Fleet reinforcements as well when resources allow.

05.04 -- Physics Lab upgrade finished on Humboldt which is up to date again now.

07.26 -- Planetary Capital finished on Eskogg.

08.07 -- Gen. Eusrim lands 14 Assault Armies on Roknim Mog.

10.09 -- After two months, the defenders of Roknim Mog have been defeated. The fleet will move on to Krolldar, the seat of the Kroll homeworld, where there will certainly be at least somewhat more resistance. Eusrim's forces lost almost half their number in the battle here, and will remain until the strength is replenished. The experience gained boosts him to **.

11.22 -- The fleet arrives in Krolldar ... and finds no combat ships waiting. Where is their fleet? Well no matter. Losses are expected in the assault here as Krolldar Prime Spaceport is twice as powerful as the one in Deteenal. Still, there is no reason to delay ...




The above is how we track overall progress in the war. You can see that we gained 3 'points', or Warscore, from taking out the spaceport and mining station, and 16 more for occupying Roknin Mog. This essentially knocks that planet out of the war. Population growth is halted and it produces nothing. We have to keep a minimal amount of armies there to keep the Kroll garrisons from taking it back, but it produces nothing -- for us, or for them. There's a long ways to go yet, but its been a good start and we are clearly winning.


11.24 -- Or perhaps there is. A Kroll fleet of 26 corvettes is detected heading towards the Deteenal system. The fleet powers up hyperdrives. It's two jumps away for us, but they will be delayed with the warp cooldown once they arrive. It's a race now ...




11.26 -- Debris analysis of the Deteenal battles produces some minor knowledge of Ion Disruptors.

12.04 -- The Kroll 1st Stellar Fleet arrives in Deteenal.

12.11 -- Our fleet reaches Theggian, still one jump away.

12.29 -- The fleet is now in Deteenal again. The Kroll started up their sublight drives to head for Roknim Mog and the undefended troops of Gen. Eusrim about a week ago, and Adm. SirFozzie moves to intercept.

How's that for a cliffhanger? And a perfectly natural, year-ending one as well. I won't be cruel -- I'll put together the next year, taking us to where I've played up to, later tonight.

[Brian Swartz]

2248

2248.01.04 -- It is not quite soon enough. The Kroll reach firing range on Eusrim's transports ...

01.06 -- But it's close. Two days later, SirFozzie opens fire. Japra Toros, a capable admiral(**) but not as good as SirFozzie, turns to face his doom. He is badly outnumbered.




Not the greatest image here being so zoomed out, but it shows the point at which Admiral SirFozzie got the 'attention' of Toros and the Kroll fleet.

01.29 -- Having wandered into a system(Nekkar, outer arm) full of hostile mining drones, JIMGA Jr. attempts to flee but it looks unlikely.

02.11 -- After just over a month, SirFozzie's fleet has torn the Kroll 1st Stellar Fleet to pieces. They lost all 26 corvettes: we lost one. They are willing to end the war as a stalemate at this point, which of course is not palatable to the Children of Boojie. Three corvettes suffered significant damage and return to Mag Rutosch for repairs, while the rest press on to the Kroll homeworld. With their primary fleet annihilated, it seems unlikely they will be able to stop us ...

02.29 -- With hull integrity of the Suggron reduced to just 13%(39/300), Dr. Jimga Jr. jumps out, escaping the clutches of the mining drones. That ... was close. It will take many months to return to Tuggam Spaceport(Haribas system, by far the closest) for repairs, and they are fortunate to have made it out alive.

03.08 -- We also must note the presence of a frontier outpost in Hixaros , essentially in the middle of the two most distant Kroll colonies. That too must be eliminated.

03.17 -- With the war going well so far, the Planetary Capital upgrade on Agglor has been authorized.

04.05 -- New alien ships encountered in the Yirba system(middle arm, the far reaches of the Ibannic Veil). They've been designated 'Zayin' until further study.

05.01 -- En route to Krolldar Prime, the fleet is engaged by a Kroll mining station orbiting the star itself. This will be only a momentary diversion. Soon other stations and even a couple of construction ships join the fun, including the spaceport itself. The battle for the Kroll homeworld has begun.




One can't see everything in one shot, but clustered at Krolldar Prime are construction ships, mining stations, and the spaceport. There were also a couple of mining stations in other directions that could not be avoided with the new weapons ranges.

06.03 -- One mining station down. Two construction ships and a pair of mining stations, along with the spaceport itself, are still in the fight. It appears this will be a little more involved than anticipated. So far, no losses but three corvettes have taken damage.

06.06 -- One of the construction ships is gone. Next, the fleet starts to get some hits in on the spaceport itself as well as another mining station nearby.

06.29 -- The second construction ship warps out. Doesn't look like the Kroll are too confident of their success here.

07.05 -- Second mining station down and the spaceport is considerably damaged. We still have no losses.

07.20 -- The spaceport is down. All over but the shouting now.

08.01 -- The final mining station is history. We did not lose a single ship, though several were close espescially the Dark Wanderer, our frigate, which was down to 3% hull integrity by the conclusion. Along with four corvettes, it will return to Collective space for repairs. The rest heads to bombard Krolldar Prime, hoping to force a surrender. Eusrim's ground troops are also incoming.

08.07 -- A new mining network finished and set for upgrade on Bakangi.

10.08 -- Communications established with the Beldross Empire, another empire wishing to wipe out all other sentient life in the galaxy. Lovely.




As of the start of bombardment on their homeworld, the Kroll are willing to appease us with one planet(Roknim Mog, which we already occupy). Nothing but total victory will suffice though. The war continues.

11.16 -- Planetary Capital operational on Eskogg. The first of two Biolabs sets for upgrade.

11.25 -- Mine upgrade finished on Bakangi, which is getting close to full population now.

12.02 -- The Living State research completed.

2249.01.02 -- Cruisers research finished.

Before I get to the upcoming decisions, one more image to show. This is as of the current date.




This the 'negotiate peace' element. There are three ways that can happen. Shown here is if the attacker wins(Demands are the wargoals that the defenders must agree to in order to terminate hostilities). Here they give up the planet we've occupied, Roknin Mog in Deteenal. They are barely willing to agree to this. Another option is White Peace(both sides agree to renounce all claims to their wargoals and a truce is signed with the war as a tie or stalemate). If the defenders have the upper hand, Surrender must be signed with the attackers agreeing to some combination of the wargoals for the defenders, shown on the right. In this case, the things they'd like but won't get are to humiliate us and liberate a number of our planets.

Left the tooltip up to see the various factors. We have achieved a warscore of 40 by occupying a planet, destroying the Kroll fleet, etc. The Peace Offer number is the value of what we are demanding, Relative Navy Strength has improved from about half of that number since the start of the war -- we've destroyed the Kroll fleet but the Djomar are still out there. The Length of War is basically a 'war weariness' thing, it's already slightly less of a factor than it was when we declared a couple years ago. Basically, the longer the war goes on the more likely they are to agree to peace. To succeed in a short way you need to do a lot more damage(fleets, stations, taking planets especially) in order to overcome the enemy's willingness to fight. These are the basic factors involved. Once we've taken Krolldar Prime, we'll be at lot closer to victory but they may not be willing to give up until all three have been occupied. We'll see how it goes.

By the way, it is a bit curious that the Djomar haven't showed up. Normally allies try to fight together, but when they have different FTL methods that can be difficult. Deteenal might well have been out of range from their nearest wormhole station(they have long range, but how long I don't know). Certainly the closer colonies shouldn't be, so it'll be interesting to see when and if they show up. The only real danger, if even that, would have been fighting them both at once. We've already succeeded in smashing the Kroll fleet, so strategically the war is basically won here. It should be only a matter of time.

[SirFozzie]

Awesome, a risk that looks like it's paid off.

(I was going to post the Marv Albert YES! Video here, or Mike Breen's BANG).

[Brian Swartz]

After the war is concluded, I will put up a new star map. Decisions will need to be made about colonization, sectors, possibly changed(or not) priorities, and so on. Also, with Cruisers finally being finished, the Admiral -- assuming he survives, but that seems very likely -- will have some choices regarding the new ships. In a month's time we'll have enough minerals to start the necessary upgrade at Humboldt Spaceport, and Bakangi will commence before the end of the year. The plan of saving up minerals met a little bit of a hitch when it was necessary to continue building more ships to support the navy in the war, but that seems to have been a worthy payoff. Also, a couple of factions have gained a bit of support but not much. I'll do a review of those internal politics with the after-conflict update as well.

New research directives are needed soon, however.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** Quicksand Basin Removal(New Worlds, 16 mo.) -- Quicksand Basins are quite common on dry worlds, such as the Arid or Desert environments preferred by the Shantari. Micaw itself has several of them.
** Centralized Command(Military Theory, 10 mo.) -- Army Upkeep is reduced by 10%. The Military Academy building is also unlocked. Any armies recruited on a planet that has one are produced 25% faster, and have a 10% damage increase.
** Neural Implants(Statecraft, 24 mo.) -- We've had this option before, but I think it's been a while. Slave Armies are allowed, and the Slave Processing Facility increases slave production of food and minerals by 15% on any planet where it is built.
** Amoeba Flagella(Biology, 26/72 mo.) -- Same as before. It should be noted that the new Cruisers can make limited use of strike craft in certain configurations, so we do now have a way to deploy these should we acquire them.

Dr. David Corperial, you are on the clock.


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Coffee Warlord

Done with the second round of MAKE THE SHIPS BIGGER!!!, there are now other things to consider.

** Supersolid Materials(Engineering, 39 mo.) -- Unlocks Engineering Facility II, improving our research labs dedicated to Engineering advancement.
** Standardized Cruiser Patterns(Voidcraft, 78 mo.) -- Unlocks the module Cruiser Assembly Yards. As with the versions for the smaller ship sizes, build time is sped up by 25%, cost reduced by 10%.
** Deep Space Outposts(Voidcraft, 11 mo.) -- Once again arises the gateway option for building static orbital defenses.
** Crystal-Infused Plating(Materials, 13/52 mo.) -- These sections, added to reinforce the hull from the inside, improve survivability not by reducing damage as with armor or absorbing it as with shields, but by simply making the hull stronger(direct increase in hitpoints). We are still using first-generation armor and shields, while we are on second-gen of most other things, and the Cruisers are the third-gen in ship classes. Having said that, this plating is almost twice as effective as our shields and several times that of using armor for the same space. Even better, it doesn't require power like shields do. It is quite a bit more expensive, but that is to be expected.
** Crystal-Forged Plating(Materials, 71/123 mo.) -- Infused Plating on drugs basically. 50% more protection, with a cost two-thirds higher. Liberal application of these would make our ships a fair bit more expensive -- but they would be(rough ballpark here) close to twice as hard to destroy. A major advance in ship survivability, and a Rare technology so it's nice to have it as a reverse-engineer option. I should note that with both of these, we are anticipating taking out the next two systems with elite crystals in them after the war. We may very well get these plating advances for free when we analyze the debris if all goes as planned. Waiting could be the best option here, if we have the patience for it.

Dr. Coffee Warlord, you are on the clock as well.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

(I was going to post the Marv Albert YES! Video here, or Mike Breen's BANG).

You should have! In all seriousness, I do think it was the right time for it, more or less. The Collective has both been extremely fortunate(we might have had the best starting location in the galaxy) -- sorry, not fortunate, blessed by Boojie. But anyway, it has also been very well-led for the most part. It's not over yet but I think attacking a decade ago would probably have been too soon. The investment in expansion and the economy has given us a base strong enough to fuel a fleet that is simply decisively bigger than what most other empires have. I think we'll probably surpass even the Thar'Biq overall by the time we're done kicking the Kroll.

[DavidCorperial]

Let's study Centralized Command

[SirFozzie]

man, the Crystal Forged Plating with cruisers. Yum.

[Coffee Warlord]

We can afford to wait on the Crystal plating. Perhaps study more crystals.

I believe we will go for something a tad faster this time, and plan for the future of Engineering as we know it. Give us Supersolid Materials.

[muns]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Awesome, a risk that looks like it's paid off.

(I was going to post the Marv Albert YES! Video here, or Mike Breen's BANG).

Thanks for getting to us in time there Admiral. Kicking some ass and taking times for Boojie!!!!

[chesapeake]

All praise be to Boojie for guiding his children to victory!

[Brian Swartz]

2249

2249.01.10 -- The Suggron has been repaired. JIMGA Jr. heads back out for survey duty, in a decidedly different direction. The Nekklar system is a no-fly zone until the fleet is ready to deal with it.

01.19 -- The order is given for Eusrim's armies to land on Krolldar Prime. I decided this was as good a time as any to give our ground troops and General their moment in the sun.




It's difficult to show bombardment effects in a screenshot. You can see the bright spots on the planet where a small part of a landmass has basically been obliterated, and the after-effects of atomic-level explosions can be seen in a few areas. We have bombardment on the 'middle' setting, Limited(out of Light, Limited, or Full). Full basically doesn't give a crap about civilian casualties and can only be used by militarists.

The purpose of bombardment is to eliminate ground fortifications. With fully developed fortifications(which happen automatically in peacetime), a ground invasion is only possible if you are willing to lose tons of troops -- they will only do a tenth of the normal damage. It scales down slowly at first, and gradually faster and faster as you bombard away those defenses. With no fortifications at all, any concentrations of force can get hammered by the orbiting fleet and our armies will inflict double damage in an assault. It's pretty much always worth doing, but it does give the enemy time to send in a fleet to break the siege.



The ships in the upper left are the transports, and each of these 'pods' descending to the surface contains one assault army.





This image, after two and a half weeks of fighting, shows what ground combat looks like. Our invading armies are the turquoise on the right, their defenders on the left in red. The outer circle turning red in segments on each of ours shows the damage taken, and similarly on theirs. The tooltip there in the lower right is something we can see for any of the armies, we can see they've taken some damage. The battle continues until all armies on one side or the other are eliminated. It's kind of crowded here because I landed I think 13-14 armies, the Kroll had I think the full dozen which is the most you can have on a planet, and several garrisons as one would expect for a homeworld. I've also left three on the occupied planet in Deteenal to make sure it doesn't decide to try and revolt. There aren't a lot of entertaining visuals here. Ground invasions are mostly about the fleet taking care of any orbital defenses in the area and knocking out the fortifications. The actual army landing and battle is pretty much mop-up work, but it's essential.

You can also see the two generals here: Vikal Vigon, Eola Eusrim's opposite number, is not as skilled.

03.18 -- We have taken Krolldar Prime, with the ground battle lasting less than two months! The fleet will now head for the Kroll frontier outpost, and see what else it can find in the systems near the Djomar border. The Star Commonwealth is not yet ready for a complete surrender, but soon they will have no choice.

04.01 -- Later than expected, the Humboldt Spaceport begins the upgrade to cruiser production.

04.03 -- Analysis of the battle debris in Deteenal is complete. Disruptors, Ion Disruptors, and Nuclear Missiles(the Kroll corvettes were seen to be using these slow-moving ballistic weapons) have all joined the research queue now.

04.07 -- Passing through the Baxom system, the third one we must take, Admiral SirFozzie notes token resistance; no ships, a mid-level spaceport, and a single mining station. We'll be back, but for now taking out that outpost will be first. Scouts are dispatched to various systems along the Kroll-Djomar border. It'll take them some time to arrive, but they should provide a bit of warning if reinforcements come.

05.16 -- Science lab finished on Eskogg. The first of two Biolab upgrades now commences.

06.06 -- We are greeted by a new empire, the Buhavilaa Ascendancy




It's worth paying a little extra attention to what they say here. They appear rather bored and dismissive, they don't introduce their leader, etc. This is our first meeting with a special kind of empire, the 'fallen empire'. We didn't have to research their communications -- shortly after entering their territory, they used their Trekkian universal translators and contacted us. Fallen Empires are 'older' races who've experienced the whole 'going into space' thing, expanding, meeting other races, diplomacy, war, conquest, research, etc. They've been there, got the T-shirt, and are basically sick of it. They have a sizable amount of territory, but not an enormous chunk of the galaxy. They also have extremely advanced, massive fleets by the standard of any 'young race' such as us at this stage of the game. Naval power, Naval capacity, and Technology are all listed as Overwhelming compared to us(in red as well, in case the word didn't give us a hint). The scale of comparison runs, so far as I know, from Pathetic - Inferior - Equivalent - Superior - Overwhelming.

In other words, we don't want to mess with them now, or ten years from now, or probably even 50 years from now. Eventually, if things go well, we could become strong enough to take them on. They aren't invincible, but they could basically send their border guard to yawn it's way through smashing our fleet. Speaking of borders, theirs are always closed.

There are different types of Fallen Empires -- these guys you may notice are listed as 'Keepers of Knowledge'. All of them have some major thing about the galaxy that is really important to them. It's technology in this case. Using(not just researching) certain types of technology that they consider dangerous(such things are marked as Risky or Dangerous or somesuch and we haven't gotten to any of them yet) will upset them. We really, really don't want to upset them right now. Blasphemous though it may be, I'm pretty confident even Boojie could not save us if we did that. If we don't do anything to tick them off though, we will remain beneath their notice. Unless you are the 'nail that sticks up', a Fallen Empire will leave you alone. They don't do diplomacy, offensive wars to expand their territory, etc. Hence the term 'fallen'. Being a 'speck beneath their notice' is the only safe place to be ... for now.




Here's where they reside, just past the Ibannic Veil on the middle arm. This means our explorations in that direction are basically done. There are more planets we can colonize out that way, but with closed borders we can't just go through their territory to what is beyond it, and the inner arm is packed. Lots of room yet, but I think we are getting close to the end of the major exploration phase.

07.12 -- The Hixaros Frontier Outpost is gone. A surprising number of corvettes were damaged, but the fleet still has plenty to handle a mere spaceport, which is all that defends Baxom.

09.02 -- Centralized Command research completed, while Engineering continues to be occupied with debris analysis.

10.02 -- Applied Quantam Physics research finished. Humboldt Spaceport has also been prepped for Cruiser construction.

[Brian Swartz]

Now that we have the space, it's time to say hello to a pair of new governors. Both positions are open to anyone who might want to claim them. Schlurma, 44, is Resilient(+25-year lifespan), while Shusk, 51, has Palmieri's gift for architectural projects. They are assigned to developing core worlds Eskogg and Agglor.

And we also have a couple more technology choices to make.


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

** Gravitic Sensors(Voidcraft, 15 mo.) -- Increases survey speed by 15%, and unlocks Gravitic Sensors. These increase the sensor range of ships and stations, and give a very small bonus to weapon accuracy(I think).
** Antimatter Power(Particles, 109 mo.) -- Increases energy storage capacity by 250(currently 3750). Also takes the next step in reactor efficiency, the fourth-gen option in this field improving on the recently developed Cold Fusion Reactors.
** Space-Time Theory(Computing, 140 mo.) -- Unlocks Physics Lab III and IV, the next two levels of physics research facilities. I think there might be one that gives just level III that we haven't researched yet.
** Blue Crystal Capacitors(Particles, 15/22 mo.) -- Like the Red versions we already have, but not nearly as good. It's not my call but I can't imagine why we would spend time on something that's inferior to what we already have.
** Active Countermeasures(Computing, 1/22 mo.) -- Unlocks Sentinel Point-Defense weapons system.
** Ion Disruptors(Particles, 32/109 mo.) -- The new potential toy discovered from debris analysis of our battles with the Kroll. We have more debris fields to search through so we may yet progress further here. Disruptors are an energy-based weapons system that is able to ignore shields. These Ion specifications are similar to the best weapons of other types that we have(coilguns, red shard throwers, etc.) and would be worthy of consideration for our starships if developed.
** Disruptors(Particles, 11/54 mo.) -- A more basic and
less powerful variant compared to the Ion Disruptors.

Physics continues to get bombarded with reverse-engineering options. Dr. Frank Justyce, you are now on the clock -- what shall we pursue next?


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** Adaptive Beauracracy(Statecraft, 12 mo.) -- Another +2 to leader capacity, and the cost of all Edicts is reduced by 15%.
** Deep Sinkhole Removal(New Worlds, 12 mo.) -- Another type of province that afflicts the drier planetary types can be removed.
** Galactic Administration(Statecraft, 41 mo.) -- +1 gain to monthly influence, unlocks the Empire Capital-Complex, an upgrade to the Planetary Capital that can be built only on our capital world(Humboldt). Food, mineral, and even influence are increased, the adjacency bonus is increased, and ethics divergence on the planet is reduced 15% when it is built. It also costs more than anything else we've done so far(1000 minerals, nearly a year's worth) and takes 3 years to build. There are some advanced buildings that require it and can therefore only be built on the imperial capital, but we have not yet invented any of them. As if that wasn't enough, this advance also unlocks Advanced Government Forms, allowing us to upgrade our government(presently at Theocratic Oligarchy) though this comes at a big price of 250 influence. Of course it is also a much more lengthy study than the other two primary choices ...
** Amoeba Breeding Program(Biology, 21/61 mo.)

Dr. David Corperial, you are on the clock again as well.

[DavidCorperial]

Adaptive Bureaucracy will be researched.

[tarcone]

Where is Dr. Tarc? Did he fall into a black hole?

[Brian Swartz]

Crew mutinied and shoved him out an airlock. Didn't you get the memo?

Ok, serious answer -- he's still out there doing his thing, but there often isn't a whole lot worth reporting. Back in the first couple decades or so when we only knew about a dozen systems, surveying a new one was a big deal. Now we've surveyed well over 100(exact count unknown). It would be really tedious(for both me and those reading) to report on each one. A lot of anomalies are very routine and not all that noteworthy for the same reason. The work of Survey Captains is important but also pretty repetitive.

At the moment, Dr. Tarc just kicked out of the territory of the recently-discovered Buhavilaa Ascendancy and is now taking a very long -- probably at least a year -- trip back to the core worlds and then to the outer arm which is basically the only place left where there are new systems to be surveyed right now.

[Brian Swartz]

On behalf of Dr. Justyce, I am selecting Active Countermeasures. You can argue for other choices pretty well here, but eventually strike craft may become more of a thing and having a weapons system to counter it might be a good idea. It doesn't appear we'll get any more reverse-engineering progress anytime soon, and it's a fairly short project to complete.

[muns]

Sounds good to me

Sent from my SM-G730V using Tapatalk

[Brian Swartz]

** Note: We are now on version 1.21. This is a hotfix that shouldn't result in any major changes.


2250, Part I
The War Ends

2250.03.06 -- Ground invasion of Vi Talas commences. This should wrap up our war with the Kroll.

03.13 -- First contact with the Fevarian Confederacy. They are really, really far away from us.







The lone splotch of territory in the lower left. Don't have to worry about them for quite some time.

03.17 -- Planetary Capital finished on Agglor. Upgrading a pair of Biolabs is the next order of business.

05.01 -- Vi Talas surrenders, and Eusrim is up to *** skill. It looks like we've done just enough to end the war. Automatic surrrender happens at 100 warscore(to prevent anyone from refusing to give up no matter what and making the war infinite), so we aren't quite there but we've done just enough it appears.




05.03 -- The Kroll Star Commonwealth accepts our terms officially. They agree to surrender the three systems stipulated, giving us over half their territory and leaving them with just one planet.




We never did fight a Djomar fleet. My best guess on why is that they had been hurt by the war with the Ul'Tur. Two factors in favor of this are their wormhole technology(they could reach Ul'Tur space, the Kroll most likely could not, leaving the Djomar to essentially attack alone) and I did spot a pair of destroyers and a few corvettes in one of their systems. We found a wormhole station of theirs and some construction/science ships in Kroll space, but no combat ships. Either they were crappy allies, or more likely they had not yet been able to rebuild their fleet to sufficient numbers to render notable aid.




It was a very successful war -- profitable, quick, and with minimal losses. Both navy and army proved themselves. We now have new slaves, and new decisions to make.

[Brian Swartz]

The war has unquestionably made us stronger, and now we must decide what is next for the Collective. If we want to finish off the Kroll, my understanding is we have to wait 10 years(cooling-off period before we can go to war again against the same enemy). They and the Djomar are still allied, and they remain our only neighbors. So for now, we would have to far out of our way to find another conflict.

In terms of the military, naval capacity is at 73/118, though we'll be building more spaceports to increase that near our new border. General Eola Eusrim's army fared very well. We have about 20 assault armies which proved to be more than sufficient for a single conflict. New defense armies will need to be built in the recently conquered Kroll worlds, and some attachments scattered but really the ground forces looked like they have what they need for the most part.

Naval Briefing: Admiral SirFozzie

It's finally cruiser time -- the fleet has waited long enough. First of all, the present state of things:

** 5 Scout Corvettes are available to be deployed wherever. Most will probably stay near Kroll and Djomar space. They were useful for probing recon during the war, but will be less important now.
** Assuming the deployment is not changed, the Home Defence Force of 5 Destroyers, 10 Corvettes will be reconsitituted.
** This leaves the Fist of Boojie with 15 Destroyers, 1 Frigate, 15 Corvettes, and 1 Raider.
** The present order of business, under established orders at least until they are changed, would be to repair all damaged ships, build up the the spaceport infrastructure, and put all shipbuilding for the time being into the new cruisers.

Cruiser Design Options

A cruiser is a three-module ship, much as a corvette has a single module and a destroyer two of them.

** The Breaker section can be built as a Guard(1 Lg. Weapon), Screen(2 Sm/1 Med Weapons), or Chain(2 Med. Weapons). Utility capabilities are identical, with 1 Lg and 1 Med on each.
** The middle section is the Core fittingly enough. It comes in Spectral(2 Sm Weapons, 1 Strike Wing), Punisher(1 Lg + 1 Med Weapon), Reaper(3 Med Weapons), and Wrath(2 Med + 2 Sm Weapons) variants. One Utility spot of each size(Lg, Med, and Sm) is available for each.
** Finally, at the back of the ship the Bulwark section can be fitted as a Protector(1 Med Weapon) or Guardian(2 Small Weapons) design. Both have 1 Lg, 1 Med, and 1 Sm Utility slot.

Between the Asimov patch and recent technological developments there are some new considerations to be had for what we will outfit the ships with as well.

** We can now use Strike Craft if we utilize the Spectral Core. The only available option we have right now are Scouts Wings. Strike Craft are high-damage, short-range mini-vessels, eight of them. The Scouts are designed to interdict enemy Strike Craft, and have a shorter range than any of our ship-based weapons. Never know till you try, but I would expect them to not be particularly effective against enemy ships themselves. The Amoeba Breeding Program and possibly other advances could increase this capability, but a limited carrier role is now possible.
** The combat computers have changed. The two improved ones we now possess have been renamed Basic Attack and Basic Bombardment. The Basic Attack computer +5% weapons damage, +5 evasion, and +10% sublight speed. It will also instruct our ships to swarm the enemy, a close-range philosophy. Basic Bombardment, which we presently use on all our destroyers & corvettes, affords +3 accuracy, +5% fire rate, and +10% weapons range, and instructs our ships to stand off and fire when they are within weapons range of their targets.
** Defensively, a combination of armor and shields within power capabilities still seems best until Crystal Plating becomes a thing.
** Projectile weapons now are slightly more effective against shields, giving a 15% bonus to damage against them. Our standard Coilguns are the best we have here and will serve as a baseline for comparing damage with the best variants we have of other general weapon types.
** Standard energy-based weapons do not get the anti-shield bonus, have somewhat lower range but higher accuracy, and gain a 33% armor penetration. We have the second tier here as well, Blue Lasers. Ignoring the shield/armor effects, they have 96% of the damage output of Coilguns. Scaling is better here though, reaching 100.6% for the large versions. We've yet to come up against shielded enemy ships though, the Kroll included, while a number of the enemies we've seen have had significant armor.
** Mining Lasers have been employed effectively on our Glasnur-class destroyers. They can fire from the same range as the coilguns, along with completely ignoring armor(100% penetration). The accuracy is lower than the standard lasers though, contributing to a damage rating(again not considering armor/shield effects) of 89%. They are probably our best bet against highly-armored targets, but relatively somewhat weak against other configurations. Mining Lasers are also only available in Small and Medium mounts.
** Red Shard Throwers are an interesting, and the most recent, development. They are the best of the weapons systems that have been reverse-engineered from the debris of the nomadic aliens that wander the stars. The range is low, only half that of coilguns. They are also a bit slower-firing, but have the best punch per shot. 50% armor penetration is also achieved. The base damage output is the highest of any weapons system at 101.4%. They damage does not scale as well as the other systems, reaching only 95% for Medium mounts and 94% for Large ones; but the range limitation is removed at those sizes.

As a reminder, here are our current designs:

** Glashnur-class Destroyer -- 5 Small Cutting Lasers(Mining Lasers)
** Tapper-class Destroyer -- 1 Large Coilgun, 1 Medium Coilgun
** Borrer-class Destroyer -- 2 Medium Coilguns + 2 Small Coilguns
** Dorsal-class Corvette -- 3 Small Coilguns
** Sschlurga-class Corvette -- 1 Medium Coilgun + 1 Small Coilgun

So after all of this, a few choices to be made.

** Ratio of Cruisers -- Equal numbers to destroyers + corvettes to maintain the same approach to fleet balance, or something else?
** Variety of Classes -- Between the three sections, there are 24 possibilities. With 2 types of Corvettes and 3 kinds of Destroyers, we could continue the trend with 4 Cruiser variants, or become either more complex or more simplistic.
** Outfitting -- Stick with Bombardment combat computers, or switch it up? What weapons should we use on each designated Cruiser class? Of course the design of the smaller ships could change as well if you so desire.
** Deployment -- Any updated instructions, if required, on how to split the fleet. The mission, unless you change it, will be to clear out known hostile contacts. Presently two elite crystalline entity systems and one packed with mining drones are known in the outer arm.

Admiral SirFozzie, you are on the clock. The navy awaits your decision. Spew forth any questions you may have that I might be able to clarify, with the advance to cruisers and other developments things have gotten that much more complicated.

[SirFozzie]

oh dear god. The choices. So many choices.

note to self: Make sure no more "Make them bigger!" options appear until my successor is in place

Working on the load out now.

[SirFozzie]

Ok. This is my thoughts and current plans for a breakdown. I invite all discussion.

We've run into nothing but corvette-class ships so far. That's both a good thing (one of our ships is likely bigger, better armored, with better weapons), and a bad thing (Bigger ships can have a hard time dealing with swarms of smaller ships). We need a variety of roles. The carrier type is not there yet, I think, but will probably be an option in the future.

Amount: Equal Numbers to Destroyers and Corvettes.

Classes:

Ship Class One: Arziban class

This class is designed to get in to weapon range, maintain it, and focus fire on larger targets while absorbing the enemy's fire. We will be using the Red Shard Throwers as a primary weapon. This class is not as good close in, so I have chosen no small weapons platforms for this one.

Breaker Section: Chain (2 Medium Red Shard Throwers)
Core Section: Punisher (1 Large, 1 Medium Red Shard Thrower)
Bulwark: Protector (1 Medium Red Shard Thrower)

Computer: Basic Bombardment. This gives better range, and better rate of fire, two things that the Red Shard Throwers lack.

Ship Class Two: Selubian-Class

This is the opposite of the Arziban. It is meant to get close in, and rip opponents apart with lasers.

Breaker: Screen: 2 Small, 1 Medium Laser
Middle: Wrath 2 Small, 2 Medium Laser
Bulwawrk: Guardian 2 Small Lasers
Computer: Basic Attack. Evasion is good, it needs to get in close. The bonus to sublight speed will help it get into battle faster.

Third and Final Definite Class: Norgites Class

This is a Jack of All Trades. We're going with Coil Guns, and a mix of large and small weapons. It will not have the close in ripping power of the Norgites class, nor the stand off ability and red shard thrower ability of the Arziban class. But it can fight pretty effectively in a variety of roles, depending on the needs of the Fleet.

Breaker: Guard (Large Coilgun)
Core: Punisher (Large and Medium Coilgun)
Bulwark: Guardian (2 small Coilguns)

Computer: Basic Bombardment.

Again, it's not great at any one thing, but it's a core generalist.

Proposed Future Cruiser Class: Zhox Class.

This is not ready for prime time yet, the technology isn't there to support it, nor do our enemies have forces at this time it would be good at, so all it is a proposed class for future use by my successor, or to put into play when we come across a race using strike craft or the technology for strike craft improves.

Breaker: Guard Class (1 Large Mining Laser)
Core: Spectral (2 Small Red Shard Throwers, 1 Strike Wing)
Bulwark: Protector 1 Medium Coilgun

Computer: Basic Bombardment:

It's a stand off fighter, the Shard Throwers are only for use in short range (which is why I decided not to bring this class into production right now, as the Strike Craft and Small Weapons probably do not stand up to the damage potential of our other classes.

[Brian Swartz]

General Briefing

With the change in borders come changes in other aspects as well.




Here are the latest boundaries of explored space for us. Things are a pretty small here but we're big enough that I had to zoom out all the way to show all of it.


Sectors

We presently have four, out of a current maximum of five. Two are 'developed' sectors, meaning they have a decent surplus in both energy and minerals, maximum taxation, and are focusing on research in accordance with current instructions. One is the Kroll Border Sector, which has expanded to include all of the recently occupied territories down to our border with the Kroll and Djomar. The second is the Perj Sector which is on the opposite side of our core systems, outward in the middle arm. It includes Hark and the surrounding systems near the jump to the inner arm, as well as the two colonies in Khamb further up.

On the outer arm are visible two smallish 'blue circles' of territory, each of which is another sector. We'll probably connect these eventually. The upper one is the Outer Rim
Sector, which has the Dawcan system and a couple of those around it, with the lower one containing the two moons in the Haribas system, called the Haribas Sector. Both of these are still developing and presently have no taxes as they are barely breaking even on energy. Developing more is the focus of these territories.


Economic Overview

** Energy -- +8 per month which is about where we want to be. New ship construction will be minimal until we grow a little more.
** Minerals -- +152 per month. Gained about another +20 from the Kroll acquisitions.
** Influence -- 87, still +4. Research underway will grant us a couple more leader spots, so we'll need this to recruit them.
** Research -- 55 physics, 89 Society, 72 Engineering. Between the domestic focus on technology and expanding both peacefully and through the war, research output has more than doubled in the past decade! It hasn't yet been enough to significantly change our technological status compared to other empires. This is partly because there has been, and continues to be, a lot of debris research, studies of anomalies/other races/etc., and is also complicated by the fact that the expansion does increase the difficulty/cost of research some. But it's still definitely progress.


Current Priorities

The fleet as mentioned will head to the outer arm to deal with crystalline elites and then mining drones there. Colonization will resume at a steady pace. Surveying the acquired Kroll territories and analyzing the battle debris from the war will occupy significant effort over the next few years.

In the outer arm, we are presently studying communications from the empire that has vassalized the one known contact out there, the Ethneri. Once completed, that will likely block off further expansion in that direction. The exploration phase has lasted longer than expected, but it appears to be near it's conclusion. We can basically expand at will in the middle arm and nearly so in the outer arm with plenty of room in both directions. Already we are largest empire in known space, with 15 planets(the Bhenn'Tell Imperium, formerly known as the Thar'Biq, are second with 12). Population-wise, we have also doubled in the past decade and have nearly equalled them as well(147-138). Getting spaceports up and running in the occupied Kroll territories will be important, as will continuing to upgrade research capabilities whenever possible.


Factions

Internal dissent is expected to gradually become more and more of an issue. It is an unavoidable side effect of growth, the only choice really is how to manage it. Here's how things lay out after the conquest:

** Demographics -- 66% Architreuthis, 20% Kroll, 10% Shantari, 2% Robots(built and 'employed' by the Kroll, they now belong to us)

** Loyalists -- 74 members(54% of the total). Just over half of the Collective is still devoted to our ideals. These are almost all Architreuthis of course.
** Kroll Repatriarchs -- 24 members(17%), 51 Attractiveness. Those Kroll who have not been enslaved are naturally opposed to the new order. This faction has no support having just formed, and doesn't appear to be particularly popular.
** Docile Slaves -- 19 members(14%), 155 Attractiveness. Support is up to 10% here. They will need at least 25% to cause any disruption.
** Malcontent Slaves -- 15 members(11%), 197 Attractiveness. No support yet, but its a bit unneverving how popular this movement is. I expect this to cause problems eventually ...
** Emancipation Movement -- 5 members(4%), 80 Attractiveness. 10% Support. Again, 25% is needed to really do anything. There is also little we can do about this faction, the others allow for more options.
** Kroll Border Sovereignty Army -- 1 member(1%), 17 Attractiveness. These separatists are so insignificant and unpopular that they can scarcely be said to exist.


No imminent decisions are necessary for Inquisitor Roe Laren, unless you intend to change anything about our current plans or have questions to pose.

[Brian Swartz]

2250-51

2250.06.01 -- Humboldt begins a Physics Lab upgrade, and Bakangi starts work on clearing a province of dangerous wildlife. Given the size of the empire, it has also been deemed time for a second construction ship and work on that begins.

06.02 -- Biolab upgrade finished on Eskogg and a Physics Lab is next. These items drain the mineral supplies for now.

07.22 -- Research of the 'Teth' aliens has finished, now to be known as the Qravadox Star Consensus. An avian race of materialists and individualists, they are polar opposites to us.




Unexpectedly, their territory actually does not block off further exploration/expansion possibilities for us completely.




Particularly interesting here is that we are starting to get close to the last two high-value mining systems ... We should not understimate the Qravadox though. They are a strong empire, a dozen systems and a population equal to our own. Overall we consider them to be very similar to us in capabilities.

08.01 -- Our new construction ship, the Maggasch, is finished and sets off to rebuild mining stations that we were forced to destroy during the war.

08.17 -- The last usable province on Bakangi has been cleared. There are now two remaining to be developed when the population grows enough. Until we learn how to deal with active volcanoes, little more can be done to improve the planet.

09.01 -- A new colony ship is begun at Agglor Spaceport.

10.01 -- Biolab upgrade begun on Agglor, as the core planet improvements gradually continue.

10.17 -- Most of the debris analysis from the Kroll has not resulted in much, if anything, but some progress was made in the latest round towards Ion Disruptors. Eskogg has also finished a lab upgrade but fleet repairs, now completed, have consumed much of our mineral supply over the last couple of months so they will have to wait for more funding.

11.05 -- Eskogg begins clearing a province of toxic kelp.

11.24 -- More debris analysis, and another small increase in Ion Disruptors knowledge.

12.01 -- Physics lab upgrade finished on Humboldt, and a second one starts as the efforts to shore up our weakest field continue.

2251.01.01 -- Resources are now available to begin recruiting armies in the occupied territories. Two for Vi Talas, and four for Krolldar Prime are needed. Another two on Roknin Mog are already in place. The assault armies will be relieved when those are ready, and redistributed between various systems.

Also, the outer arm sectors have made significant progress this year in building their energy-producing capacity, and some taxed resources are now flowing in from them. It will soon be time to start building our first cruisers.

02.02 -- More progress towards Ion Disruptors as the debris analysis continues. It's slow progress, but we are gradually getting there.

02.09 -- Toxic kelp cleared on Eskogg, and a new science lab to focus on Engineering will be constructed.

03.22 -- The last of the needed lab upgrades on Agglor is finished. Toxic kelp clearing is next as there is a location that should be decent for physics research.

04.02 -- Adaptive Beauracracy research completed, and two more governors are recruited.

04.08 -- The Bhenn'Thell and Uthonian empires, the two largest in the core regions that we have encountered, are now rivals. Tensions appear to be growing in that part of the galaxy.

05.02 -- Active Countermeasures research completed. Also, the first of the three needed spaceports in the former Kroll territories is begun.

[Brian Swartz]

A couple more research decisions are needed. 'Reconstruction', for lack of a better term, is continuing to go well and make steady progress. A couple more spaceports in occupied Kroll space are needed, then expansion of the fleet will progress. The Fist of Boojie is rendezvousing in Haribas, and having fully repaired now that is almost complete. From there they will strike at the elite crystalline entities a few jumps away. Meanwhile most of the war debris has been analyzed. All of these are general cleanup/consolidation type steps to prepare us for whatever is next.


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

** Improved Deflectors(Field Manipulation, 29 mo.) -- Second-gen shields that double the effectiveness of those mounted on ships. Planetary fortifications are strengthened by 20% also.

** Self-Aware Logic(Computing, 43 mo.) -- Adds +1 to research alternatives, for a minimum of four.

** Quantum Energy States(Industry, 43 mo.) -- +250 to Energy Storage capacity(3750 presently). Unlocks third-gen power plants(Power Plant III, Betharian/Troutian Power Plant III).

** Blue Crystal Capacitors(Particles, 9/17 mo.) -- An objectively useless weapons system that is inferior to what we already possess. How's that for not overselling it?

** Ion Disruptors(Particles, 54/86 mo.) -- An interesting weapons system that devastates shields with double damage, and is as effective against hulls as any weapon we possess currently. Discovered from Kroll wrecks, it was thankfully not a weapon they had enough of to make a significant impact.

** Disruptors(Particles, 7/43 mo.) -- A less effective, more basic version of the Ion Disruptors. There seems to be little reason to invest the effort here.

Dr. Frank Justyce, you're up again.


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** Quicksand Basin Removal(New Worlds, 12 mo.) -- Ability to clear one of the problematic provincial types on drier worlds.

** Neural Implants(Statecraft, 20 mo.) -- Unlocks the Slave Army and the Slave Processing Facility. The latter increases slave output by 15%(food and minerals) on any planet it is built on.

** Epigenetic Triggers(Biology, 30 mo.) -- Unlocks the Uplift ability, allowing us to integrate species nearing sentience into our empire. At present, this would seem to fly in the face of established policy but I admit I do not fully understand the mechanics involved having not used them.

** Amoeba Flagella(Biology, 17/59 mo.) -- Now that we have a ship capable of mounting them, we can give a little more detail here. These breedable flagella are fewer in number than our scouts(4 compared to 8 per 'wing') but do a lot more damage and are tougher to destroy/kill. Overall damage output is projected to be 73% higher, and they ignore shields while halving armor penetration as well. This would be a big step forward in strike craft capabilities.

Dr. David Corperial, you are also on the clock.

[DavidCorperial]

Neural Implants is the choice

[Brian Swartz]

Improved Deflectors has been selected.

[Brian Swartz]

2251-53

2251.06.01 -- Physics lab upgrade finished on Humboldt. Once again our homeworld is completely up to date.

06.04 -- Science lab ready on Bakangi. It will be upgraded to focus on physics study.

06.26 -- Toxic kelp cleared on Agglor. A new science lab, eventually for physics as well, is begun.

07.17 -- Science lab finished on Eskogg. This one will begin upgrading to an Engineering Facility.

08.02 -- A second spaceport in the Kroll area, this one at Roknim Mog(Deteenal system) is begun.

08.08 -- A new alien contact near Qravadox space. Designated 'Lamedh', they will be researched immediately.

09.01 -- The latest colony ship is finished and begins the journey to Saiph. This is several jumps beyond Haribas, but as a max-size(25) ocean world, it is well worth it.

09.03 -- Crystalline elites engaged in Chi Draconis.

09.22 -- Physics Lab operational on Bakangi, and begins the final upgrade.

11.19 -- The battle in Chi Draconis is over. We have won once again, but it was more costly this time with the loss of nine corvettes.

11.23 -- Eskogg finishes an Engineering Facility. The planet will now clear a province of toxic kelp to make way for new construction.

2252.01.05 -- Agglor finishes a science lab, and sets to upgrade it to a Physics Lab.

01.10 -- Physics Lab upgrade finished on Bakangi, leaving the planet presently up to date again.

02.04 -- War in the core -- the Bhenn'Tell Imperium has commenced hostilities with the Uthonian Star Coalition.

02.08 -- Communications decoded and first contact with the Scyldari Confederacy, a small empire on the other side of the Qravadox. They look a lot like the Kroll, and are not large enough or close enough to warrant much attention.







02.21 -- Toxic kelp cleared on Eskogg, and a new mining network is started.

06.01 -- Construction of the first cruiser(Arziban class) is begun at Maghama Spaceport. The Fist of Boojie awaits reinforcements in Haribas, due to the number of losses sustained in the last battle and the similar if not greater strength of the remaining cluster of elite crystalline entities it will be taking on next.

06.17 -- First physics lab upgrade done on Agglor, and a second one initiated.

07.18 -- Eskogg finishes a mining network, and sets for an upgrade.

09.02 -- First set of debris analyzed in Chi Draconis, with a moderate amount of progress on Crystal-Forged Plating resulting.

10.03 -- A rare survey result worth mentioning: Dr. Tarc's report on the Yobhanir system, just outside Qravadox space, has been filed. Demonstrated mineral reserves there are almost twice as much as any other known system(16 total). A large habitable planet is there as well, unfortunately it is a continental world which have not yet developed the ability to settle. There are also yet two infested systems that would need to be cleared as they are on the journey there.

10.22 -- First contact with an empire styling themselves the Tuxcan Union. They are part of a trio on the opposite side of the galaxy.




11.05 -- A second cruiser(Selubian class) is begun at Humboldt Spaceport.

11.24 -- Mining Network upgrade finished on Eskogg, the third system to make it back to fully up-to-date since the war.

11.29 -- Five days later, Agglor reaches the same stage after a Physics Lab upgrade. All four core planets are now where they need to be for the time being.

12.06 -- Second debris field in Chi Draconis analyzed, with progress made in both variants of the crystal plating.

2253.01.06 -- Observation station is operational in the Edasich system, near Haribas, our furthermost colony in the outer arm. The planet that will be studied is known as Cinfinev viba-Filavv, more specifically the fungoid species known as the Caphevad, an Iron Age civilization. There will be a spelling quiz later. A policy of Aggressive Observation, including the regular collecting of and experimentation on live specimens, will add significantly to our understanding of the life sciences(+6 Society research per month).

02.01 -- First cruiser finished at Maghama, and it will head to join the rest of the fleet. Another of the Norgites class will be started at the same time. The Fist of Boojie will resume combat operations once it has one of each class, allowing us a chance to see how they fare.

02.08 -- Another report from Dr. Tarc. This is interesting, but other than a boost to his personal knowledge it has no practical benefits.




03.08 -- The last of the Chi Draconis debris fields have been analyzed. As a result we have finished work on Crystal-Forged Plating, the better of the two types. All combat ship classes have had their designs upgraded to include these due to their clear superiority over all other options, and upgrading will commence immediately. While the shields have been removed or mostly so, hull strength of corvettes have been increased by 75%(scouts not included as the increased power is more useful for them), destroyers by 75%, and cruisers by 56-75%.

It will take almost three months minerals to fund the upgrades, but frankly it's probably bargain at several times the price.

03.27 -- The Hakibori and Ul'Tur are at war again. Time will tell if this time ends in anything more significant than the previous ineffective conflict.

06.10 -- The Emancipation Faction has radicalized several slaves, causing them to switch to the Malcontents. It's time to consider taking some form of action at this point, or there will be further consequences ...

[chesapeake]

What are the options with regard to slaves?

[Brian Swartz]

You don't get any!! J/k, I was too tired to a proper write-up of that last night and I worked this morning, but here's your briefing. Not planning on advancing at all until you have a chance to look at it.

Faction Briefing: Inquistor Roe Laren

Before we get to the bad news, I should mention that there is some good news. The Kroll Sector Separatists, and the conquered Kroll themselves who wanted to return to being ruled by their own people have ceased to exist as even potentially disrupted forces. Their causes have basically been unable to attract support and empathy from the common Architreuthis. The slave issue is the only issue. Here's where we stand at the current date in terms of factions.

** Loyalists -- 83 of 149(56%). This is actually a hair better than it was a few years ago. Once again these are those loyal to the Collective and its way of doing things. The higher this is, the better.

** Emancipation Movement -- 25 members(17%), 99 Attraction, 50% support. This is the one that, indirectly, is causing the problem. Unfortunately this is the one faction that we cannot directly manage in any way. Their objective is Stoking the Fire, radicalizing several slaves, which they just achieved for the first time. They will continue to do this and, aside from possible purging a significant number of our citizens(at which point more might well just join anyway) there is no direct solution here. Potential ideas to come at the end of this briefing.

** Malcontent Slaves -- 20 members(13%), 200 Attraction, 25% Support. This is the more troublesome of the two slave factions, and the one that is the current issue. Right now there is a 5% chance monthly of activating Insterstellar Railroad, which would result in several slave pops being smuggled out of the empire. This is the least bad of their three activities -- if left unchecked, things will get worse but this is the first stage.

** Docile Slaves -- 17 members(11%), 159 Attraction, 10% Support. The less difficult slave faction to deal with, they do not yet have enough support to require immediate action.


Those are the current factions. Micaw(the arid Shantari planet) is the biggest issue here. 11 of the 20 Malcontents, 5 of the 25 Emancipators are located there. The others are all on the occupied Kroll worlds. There is not a single Architreuthis so far as I can tell who is not either a Docile Slave or Loyalist. The differences in ethics, unhappiness as being enslaved/conquered push the alien species over the edge into causing more problems.

** Governor Mitigation -- Things seemed to have improved a bit in the Kroll Sector when a governor was assigned, though they aren't particularly good. If we put our best governor in charge of the sector, which right now is Deaconi Palmieri by a mile, that would likely improve things a bit. Not enough to get rid of all the problems I don't think, but every little bit counts.

** Widespread Purging -- Stalin would have nothing on us if we did this, basically going through and 'cleansing' the empire of undesirable elements. I have confirmed this can be done even for those in sectors. It takes six months, and is likely to tick off others on the planet as well as other empires who don't favor purging(which is most of them). Possibly a last resort, but we can do it. Of course we should remember if we lose the slaves in this or any other way, everything they've been producing will be gone from the economy as well.

** Free the Slaves -- Assuming this would be the malcontents only at this point, but the freed pops would be less productive, and very likely join the Emancipation faction, helping to radicalize more of the Dociles. We'd probably end up eventually having to ban all slavery if we went this route. This is the only thing that will make the Malcontent Slaves happy though, as it's their sole demand.

** Regulated Slavery -- This makes the Docile Slaves happier, and may even totally pacify them given that it's their only demand. Regulated Slavery is a policy choice which somewhat improves living conditions for the slaves, with a 10% reduction in their food and mineral production. They're still better than the average pop in that regard, just not by much(total bonus is 15% so it would be reduced to 5%, but stuff like the recently discovered Slave Processing Facility can increase this). I don't know that it has any effect on the Malcontents though. If it does, it's almost certainly indirect(less Dociles becoming Malcontent). As with any other policy, it can only be changed once per ten years.

** Malcontent Managing Options -- There are two choices for directly affecting the Malcontents. The first is Harsh Treatment, which would attempt to break the spirit of the troublemakers by worsening living and working conditions. For a cost of 600 energy and 50 influence(we presently have almost 2k energy and 57 influence, so we can afford this), this can be done once every several months and still be effective. The second option is to Make An Example. For 400 energy and 150 influence(we don't have the influence to do this right now), we can purge a particularly troublesome pop as an example. Each of these will reduce support for the Malcontents by 20%.

** Do Nothing -- Let things take their natural course. Left alone for long enough, armed rebellion by the Malcontents will occur so long-term this is not a solution, but the stand around with our thumbs up our butts hoping the problem will solve itself strategy is always a possibility.


Inquisitor Roe Laren, you are on the clock. Also as a heads-up, I think leader lifespan was lengthened in the recent update. Couldn't find a specific notice of this, but it seems everyone will default to living past the century mark now(seems 102 instead of 72 is the 'new normal'). Not sure why, but just an FYI there.

[chesapeake]

Transfer Governor Palmieri to the Kroll Sector and pass a resolution establishing basic regulation of the slave trade. It is unwise for an empire as grand and powerful as the Onchorhynchus Collective to have any major industry that is ungoverned by modest regulation. Slavery is no different, even when necessary for the safety of the lesser species who have been brought to us by Boojie for guidance and protection.

[Brian Swartz]

Implemented. Now for the shortest update probably in the entire thread.

2253, Part II

2253.07.01 -- First migration that I've noticed, although I don't check the sector worlds that often. An Architreuthis is leaving Bakangi to go to Roknim Mog, one of the Kroll worlds. Although I don't know that this is a factor, I'll theorize that they like Palmieri's leadership and are following to live in his new territory.

08.01 -- The new Uldrugg colony has been established in the Saiph system, expanding our control of the outer arm. Another colony ship is begun post haste.

08.02 -- Improved Deflectors research is completed.

09.02 -- Neural Implants research finished.

[Brian Swartz]

Research first.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

The Physics Dept. awaits further instructions. Since Dr. Justyce has been unreachable the past two times, this is sort of the 'third strike'. If we don't hear from him by the deadline, he'll be removed as an active member of the Collective and I'll take over the decision-making for him until he either dies or makes an appearance again. This is for the purposes of keeping things moving.

** Synchronized Defenses(Computing, 20 mo.) -- All weapons fire by stations will see a 25% increase in firing rate and damage. This major tactical upgrade is a Rare technology that will be unlikely to appear again if not selected. It does not affect ships as it is station-only, but I think spaceports are included. Despite several opportunities, we have not invented any other station types.
** Space-Time Theory(Computing, 96 mo.) -- Unlocks not just one but two additional upgrades to Phyics Labs(III & IV).
** Hyperlane Breach Points(Particles, 37 mo.) -- Unlocks an upgrade to our hyperdrives, reducing the charge-up time by a quarter.

** Blue Crystal Capacitors(Particles, 8/15 mo.)
** Disruptors(Particles, 6/37 mo.)
** Ion Disruptors(Particles, 44/74 mo.)

Dr. Frank Justyce, you are on the clock.


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** Xeno Diplomacy(Statecraft, 27 mo.) -- The Federation option is back again.
** Communication Protocols(Statecraft, 60 mo.) -- Improved FTL communications allow for increasing our Sector Limit by 1. We are presently using 4/5, and have been close to the cap for a while now.
** Doctrine: Space Combat(Military Theory, 7 mo.) -- Increases naval capacity by 10%. Presently we are at 72/139.
** Amoeba Breeding Program(Biology, 15/54 mo.)

Dr. David Corperial, you are on the clock again.


Sometime in the next day or so, another colonization directive will be posted.

[DavidCorperial]

Communication Protocols is set for research

[mrkilla22]

Sorry! I was out of state for a while and didn't get a chance to respond here. Let's research Hyperlane Breach Points.

[Brian Swartz]

Computer problems seem to dog these projects for me and one has struck again. Video stopped working yesterday afternoon followed by a bunch of strange errors and eventually my system decided not to boot up at all. I expect to be able to resume at some point, but at the very least it'll be some while to have tech support done.

It seems the favor of Boojie is, at least in this case, not enough.

[Brian Swartz]

Pleased to announce that we are back in business here! Turned out to be a stupidly simple malfunction - one of my RAM sticks was bad. Anyway, the previously given research instructions have been entered, and colonization matters are up next.

At this time, the game date is still 2253.09.02.

[Brian Swartz]

Colonization Briefing: Inquisitor Roe Laren

As always, others are encouraged to chime in. I'm definitely open to waiting longer than usual here since we've been out of action for approaching two weeks now.

Pursuant to established economic priorities, the Collective continues to seek a balanced approach of roughly equal numbers of established and developing worlds. With the annexation of three Kroll planets just over three years ago, and the diversion of resources into the war and away from colonization for some years, that number is still unbalanced leaving expansion a continuous goal. We have 16 planets, only 2 of which are still in the development phase.

The options available to us at this point are listed below, with associated maps for reference.




** Izval -- This is the lower section of occupied Kroll space, near the Djomar border. It is the only colonizable planet in the region. This is not a economic boon by any means(size 14 Arctic) but would give us additional border push against both the Djomar and the remains of the Kroll.




** Core Density -- Three worlds near the Grasping Claw Nebula which houses Humboldt and our other core worlds could still be expanded to. Impal Tov(25, Arctic) is by far the best as a max-size world, with Ferathon(11, Arctic) and Pavagh(12, Ocean) much smaller.




** Ibannic Veil -- This is the nebula well beyond our territory, just before the fallen empire outwards in our arm of the galaxy. There is significant space between the Perj Sector(Khamb, etc.) and here, none of which holds planets we can presently settle. There is no immediate strategic importance here - nobody else has access to this space except the fallen empire which could care less about it. There are a couple of lucrative planets here though. Tediss(24, Ocean) is the best untapped world we know of, and Ustir(22, Arctic) would make a good sector 'partner' for it.




** Outer Arctic Minors -- It is quite likely that we will eventually want to consolidate the Haribas and Outer Rim sectors, shown here, into a single sector. To do so, we'll need to extend our borders as they are not contiguous right now. The best way to do so would be colonizing Edasich and Neshmet, both size-12 Artic planets. Rana would extend a bit of push in the other direction, but is a much more dubious candidate as a tiny size-9 Arctic.




** Beyond Saiph -- Shown in the upper portion here is the lucrative and recently settled Saiph system, with the Uldrugg colony. In this section there are a variety of worlds available to be colonized. Listed by their proximity to Saiph, they are Khagaton(13, Ocean), Quannaga(13, Arctic), Rantor(20, Arctic), Yssom(9, Ocean), and Nekkar(19, Arctic). Rantor would be the best economic choice, Nekkar and Yssom for strategic push against the Qravadox just beyond this. In particular, Nekkar, which will soon be cleared of a horde of mining drones once the Fist of Boojie receives its initial cruiser complement, would serve as a first step in keeping the path around the Qravadox to the left open. There are two free Continental worlds further down that way(equally suitable to Arctics for us) but we have not yet researched colonizing techniques for that type of planet. Survey efforts continue at the present, and things could change here if they find another habitable planet along that strip.

We have plenty of 'administrative overhead' for expansion, with only 4 of our current 6 sector slots having been used. Inquisitor Roe Laren, where should our next few colony ships go? You are now on the clock.

[SirFozzie]

Welcome back, Kotter